ON THIS DATE

Isaac Watts died 11/25/1748. Born (7/17/1674) eldest of 8 children of a Dissenter pastor, Watts learned Latin by 4, Greek at 9, French at 11, & Hebrew at 13. This “Father of modern hymnology” also wrote Logick (1725), Knowledge of the Heavens and Earth (1726), Philosophical Essays (1733), The Improvements of the Mind (1741), ALL used as Texts for decades at such “little known” colleges as Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard & Yale! Isaac was only 5’ tall, had a disproportionately large head, & never married.

His nearly 600 hymns include “At the Cross” “Come We That Love the Lord” “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun” “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” “O God Our Help in Ages Past” & “Joy To the World.”

Good is the Lord, the heav’nly King,
Who makes the earth His care;
Visits the pastures every spring,
And bids the grass appear.
The clouds, like rivers, raised on high
Pour out at Thy command
Their watery blessings from the sky,
To cheer the thirsty land.

The softened ridges of the field
Permit the corn to spring;
The valleys rich provision yield,
And the poor laborers sing.
The little hills, on every side,
Rejoice at falling showers;
The meadows, dressed in all their pride,
Perfume the air with flowers.

Isaac Watts died this date, 11/25/1748, at Stoke New­ing­ton, Eng­land. (In case you had not noticed it only takes six letters to spell his whole name – the third letter is repeated in each.) Watts who is widely respected in both evangelical and holiness circles is still sung by congregations who have not abandoned their hymnal. He is NOT as well known as a writer of Thanksgiving poetry but here are THREE from his pen. He was born 7/1771674, at South­amp­ton, Eng­land and never married.

Isaac Watts died this day in England, his native land. He is known for many worshipful hymns and, of course for, “Joy to the World.” The average reader may be unaware that Watts also wrote, Logick (1725) Knowledge of the Heavens and Earth (1726) Philosophical Essays (1733) The Improvements of the Mind (1741) all used for decades at Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, and Yale!

Watts is said to have rhymed so much as a kid that his dad wanted it stopped to which Isaac replied “O father, do some pity take